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Shusterman ends his provocative trilogy with a rock-solid adventure that manages to examine deep questions of faith and morality. At the end of Everwild (2009), Nick the Chocolate Ogre had dissolved into a mass of chocolate pudding, Mary Hightower was asleep in a glass coffin waiting to be reborn, Allie the Outcast was strapped to the front of a runaway train and Mikey McGill (formerly the monstrous McGill) was searching for a way to rescue her. The adventures continue, with Mexican Afterlight Jix joining the cast of characters as a furjacker, slipping into the bodies of giant cats as he spies on Mary's army for the Mayan King. The rules of Everlost are unique, catering to the children who go there upon death and wait until they are ready to go into the light. But even those rules can be overset with the introduction of Clarence, the scar wraith, whose touch can extinguish anyone out of existence—forever. Alliances form and melt as characters decide between their own self-interest and what is right; the shifting third-person perspective gives readers glimpses into everybody's souls. Rich in detail, with exceptional characterization and shot through with unexpected (and very necessary) humor, this is an engrossing and thoroughly satisfying ending to a unique saga of life after death. (Science fiction. 12 & up)
ALA BooklistShusterman wraps up his Skinjacker trilogy with a satisfying, if long, concluding volume. New characters add to the drama: there's the furjacking spy Jix, who skinjacks into large cats instead of humans, and Clarence, a scar wraith who is trapped between the real world and Everlost. The action resumes right where it left off in volume two, but the stakes are raised, as both worlds are threatened. The Alamo and other famous sites continue to play a part, but it's the characters and action that will have fans of the series eager to find out how it all ends.
Horn BookAs book three (Everlost; Everwild) opens, Allie the Outcast is tied to a train containing the sleeping body of evil Mary Hightower. Nick, meanwhile, has lost his memory, having reverted almost completely to a chocolate golem. This isn't a book to read on its own, but Shusterman's richly complex world building will intrigue initiates just as the main characters' fates will satisfy fans.
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)Shusterman ends his provocative trilogy with a rock-solid adventure that manages to examine deep questions of faith and morality. At the end of Everwild (2009), Nick the Chocolate Ogre had dissolved into a mass of chocolate pudding, Mary Hightower was asleep in a glass coffin waiting to be reborn, Allie the Outcast was strapped to the front of a runaway train and Mikey McGill (formerly the monstrous McGill) was searching for a way to rescue her. The adventures continue, with Mexican Afterlight Jix joining the cast of characters as a furjacker, slipping into the bodies of giant cats as he spies on Mary's army for the Mayan King. The rules of Everlost are unique, catering to the children who go there upon death and wait until they are ready to go into the light. But even those rules can be overset with the introduction of Clarence, the scar wraith, whose touch can extinguish anyone out of existence—forever. Alliances form and melt as characters decide between their own self-interest and what is right; the shifting third-person perspective gives readers glimpses into everybody's souls. Rich in detail, with exceptional characterization and shot through with unexpected (and very necessary) humor, this is an engrossing and thoroughly satisfying ending to a unique saga of life after death. (Science fiction. 12 & up)
School Library JournalGr 8 Up-Shusterman closes his trilogy with this epic installment. As Mary Hightower lies in a deep sleep, her allies venture west in their ghost train, building an army of Afterlights (spirits of young people who have died but not yet "moved on"). One of the newcomers, Jix, keeps his loyalties and intentions hidden while moving up the ranks in Mary's inner circle. Meanwhile, Mikey (formerly the vicious monster "McGill") and Nick the Chocolate Ogre set off in search of Allie the Outlaw, meeting up with a mysterious and terrifying scar wraith whose touch can extinguish an Afterlight forever. Shusterman's conversational tone and skillfully written dialogue nicely counterbalance some intense action sequences. Everlost is an impressively built world with unique and likable characters. However, the author has a tendency to overexplain story elements at times, and while the plot hums along pretty well over the course of the book, inconsistent pacing causes it to drag in places. For fans of the series, these shortcomings shouldn't be too much of a bother, but leaving the world of Everlost behind may cause a great deal of distress. A handy and informative FAQ (narrated by Allie the Outlaw) helps integrate background material at the outset, but readers need to be familiar with the first two volumes in order to understand much of the background character development and several plot points. Sam Bloom, Groesbeck Branch Library, Cincinnati, OH
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
ALA Booklist
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
School Library Journal
Voice of Youth Advocates
Wilson's High School Catalog
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
CHAPTER 1
Jix
The boy jacked a jaguar, slipping into its sleek body and sending its simple feline mind to sleep. He owned the beast now. Its flesh was his. Muscular magic in a compact four-legged frame, perfectly designed for running, stalking, and killing.
He had taken on the name “Jix”—one of the many Mayan words for “jaguar”—due to his inclination toward great cats, and he furjacked one every chance he got. He preferred wild jaguars, living in the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula—creatures that hadn’t lost their will to hunt.
Reconnaissance was Jix’s specialty: tracking and spying on Afterlights who His Excellency the King believed to be a threat. Afterlights such as the Eastern Witch—the one they called Mary Hightower.
His Excellency had created a barrier of wind upon the Mississippi River to keep her and other intruders out, but the Eastern Witch was shrewd and relentless. With the help of her own skinjackers, she had destroyed a living-world bridge, causing it to cross into Everlost. Then with a train full of followers and slaves, she rode a powerful locomotive across the river.
At least that was the story.
Others said that she never made the journey herself—that something strange and mysterious happened to her, but no one could agree as to what it was. She flew off into the sky. She melted. She turned to stone. She turned to flesh. Each rumor was more outlandish than the last, and no one knew for sure if any of them were true.
Jix was called in for closer surveillance. Discover their numbers, discover their intent, then report back to the king. If these trespassing Afterlights were truly a threat, they would be dealt with quickly, and would never see the light of day again. It all depended on Jix’s report.
“You should skinjack the pilot of a flying machine,” His Excellency had suggested to Jix, “for speed in this matter would greatly please us.”
Jix, however, had resisted. “But sir, my skill to stalk comes from the jaguar gods. If I make my journey impure, they will be angered, and take the skill away.”
His Excellency had then waved his hand dismissively. “Do as you will—as long as you bring us the results We require.” The king always said “us” and “we,” even when there was no one else but him in the room.
So, on a bright autumn day, Jix set out in the borrowed body of a jaguar, and within that speedy beast, he forged over mountains and rivers, resting when he had to, but never for long. When he came near human villages he heard many languages. Remnants of ancient tongues, Spanish, and finally English. Once he heard English, and saw signs written in that language, he knew he was getting close, yet never once was he spotted, for he had the best of both species now: the keen senses of the jaguar, and the full faculties of a human mind.
The ghost train had crossed the bridge in Memphis, so this was his destination. He was certain to pick up a scent of the supernatural there, and track them down. As he drew nearer, he could feel the thrill of the hunt filling him. The intruders wouldn’t stand a chance.
© 1994 Neal Shusterman
Excerpted from Everfound by Neal Shusterman
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Witness the final battle for the souls of Everlost in a “compellingly readable and a worthy finale to the Skinjacker trilogy” (VOYA).
While Mary lies in a glass coffin aboard a ghost train heading west, her minions are awaiting her re-awakening by bringing lots of new souls into Everlost to serve her. Meanwhile Jackin’ Jill has met Jix, a furjacker—a skinjacker who can take over the bodies of animals, most notably jaguars. Jix serves a Mayan god who collects Everlost coins to use in his Wurlitzer, which predicts the future. In the concluding volume of The Skinjacker Trilogy, Neal Shusterman reveals new sides of the characters of Everlost, who are pitted against each other in a battle that may destroy all life on Earth.